


Shooting Stars

by 1JettaPug, Ruriruri



Series: Ace and Paul’s Excellent Homoerotic Adventure [1]
Category: KISS (US Band)
Genre: 1970s, Ace Is From Jendell, Blow Jobs, Blow Jobs in a Car, Car Sex, Comfort, Cuddling & Snuggling, Developing Relationship, Drunken Confessions, Drunken Kissing, Drunkenness, Hand Jobs, Homophobia, Humor, Internalized Homophobia, Kissing, M/M, Oral Sex, Rock Stars, Vomiting
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-12
Updated: 2019-01-12
Packaged: 2019-10-08 15:06:42
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 17,084
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17388641
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/1JettaPug/pseuds/1JettaPug, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ruriruri/pseuds/Ruriruri
Summary: With KISS slowly climbing from bar gig to bar gig, hoping for their big break, Paul spends the night at Ace’s parents’ apartment about how he expects to: drunk and disorderly. But what he doesn’t expect is how one innocent, drunken question could lead him into a relationship with their eccentric lead guitarist-- if he’ll let it happen.





	Shooting Stars

New York City didn’t look pretty at night if you’d never really lived anywhere else. Just lights everywhere, lights and a cacophony of noise. Police hollering at some drunk hobo, the screech of cars skidding to a stop, horns honking and sirens insistent in the distance. Nothing glamorous or romantic about it at all.

Definitely not when he was leaning over the fire escape at Ace’s parent’s apartment, wine bottle in hand, Ace standing there beside him. The six-pack of beer they’d bought after practice was down to a solitary can, and his cheap bottle of wine was half gone. Ace had said something earlier about looking at the stars, but really, how much stargazing could anyone do out here? No, Ace probably just wanted to finish his beer in peace without his parents nagging him about it inside. Paul could appreciate that. 

Paul could even appreciate the taste of the cheap wine after downing half the bottle all by himself this fine New York evening. It had done a wonderful job of tossing that annoying chill off his shoulders and was currently working on making his fingers tingle a little. 

It was still a much welcomed distraction from the day that had seemed to have stretched on forever. Work days at the deli were just getting longer, smellier and more disgusting for him, and his paycheck wasn’t getting any bigger for his troubles. The idea of spending his nights cabbying drunks home was sadly starting to become more and more appealing by the day. And damn, he still had to try to squeeze in band practice with Gene, Ace and Peter in there somewhere. 

Paul shook his head, dispelling the rest of his troubled thoughts. 

Still, he couldn’t stop himself from thinking about what a hell of a fight it was trying to help KISS climb the ladder of success. Gene was insistent that this was the one, this was the band-- but he’d said the same thing about Wicked Lester, and they both knew how that had turned out. At least with each sip of wine, it was getting easier to convince himself that they were already almost there. They just had to push it a little more...

“...The Milky Way is such a strange name for a galaxy, Paulie.” Ace muttered, lifting his beer up to take another swig out of it. “C’mon… Y- You gotta agree with me there.” 

Paul turned and stared at him.

Ace tipped his head slightly to one side, staring back. Slowly, he said, “What? I’m just sayin’ humans are weird when it comes to naming things! I mean look at Uranus! T- That’s just messed up!” Ace’s eyes seemed to shine with a sort of mirth, and he leaned forward slightly. “Awww, can’t you tell when I’m joking around?”

“Only sometimes.” The lead singer muttered under his breath. Even if he was about drunk, Paul still wasn’t going to forget that little ‘magic trick’ of Ace’s where he levitated his beer bottle for thirty seconds. Peter, who was drunk off his ass at the time, had just stared in amazement, clapped, and called Ace a great magician. Paul had just added another tally to the board of Ace was a real alien, mentally resigning himself to keep Gene from selling him to the circus if he ever stuck around long enough to witness Ace’s strangeness.

“Oooh, learn to joke around some and laugh a little. W- We need to loosen you up more, Paulie. I mean, you got a real pretty face, but you gotta learn to have fun with it, you know?”

Paul hummed thoughtlessly in acknowledgement, not really paying attention to Ace’s words as he swirled his bottle around. He lifted it up and took a long swallow, no longer feeling the burn as it went down. When he lowered the bottle, Ace was staring at him, those soft lips of his parted ever so slightly as he watched him drink. Paul felt a strange heat rise to his cheeks, but he just chalked it up as the wine getting to him. With another motion of his arm, Paul took another gulp, closing his eyes to avoid the strange, soft look of his bandmate. 

“... Oh man… Gene’s totally gonna kill me if you die from alcohol poisoning…” Ace murmured out of the blue, about causing Paul to choke on his drink. 

Paul snorted. “I’m not gonna die from a little wine, Ace. Jesus. Besides, I thought you were supposed to be encouraging me to loosen up.” He waved the bottle around playfully before bringing it to his lips again.

Ace pointed a very serious finger at him. “Hey, listen, alcohol poisoning is not a joke- PFFffffttt, H _AhA_ haHAH _AahAH_ ah!” Ace slapped his knee, then threw his head back in laughter. Apparently, he wasn’t able to make it through the whole ‘super-duper-serious speech joke’ he had tried to attempt.

Paul couldn’t help but laugh at that, and Ace motioned for them to finally sit down and take a load off. He followed him down, throwing his long legs between the railing bars of the fire escape and moving them back and forth at a lazy pace. Ace crossed his legs and tried to steady himself as his giggles continued to rock his body.

Paul smiled, “Hahahah, sure, sure! Thanks, I’ll keep that in mind, _Dad._ ”

“You better,” Ace cackled, inching a little closer. “Or _Daddy_ will have to teach you a lesson.”

“ _Aaaaa_ and, you took it too far.” Paul put his free hand out to keep Ace at arm’s length, still smiling easily. “Although I’ll admit, that one was kind of my fault.”

Ace stuck out his tongue at him like a petulant child. Paul snorted. Maybe it was the alcohol talking, but there was something sort of… well, endearing about his bandmate. Ace never seemed to have his guard up, never seemed to be hiding anything. Well, besides probably being an alien, but he wasn’t even stealthy about that. It was so different from the way the rest of the band was. Gene walled himself off with that superior tone and intellectualism that made Paul feel like an even bigger idiot; Peter was defensive, lashing out at every single slight, and Paul himself… well, he knew all his faults and secrets, and he knew how they kept him on edge. But Ace didn’t need a front. He could just-- be.

“You’re lucky, man,” he mumbled. Ace just cocked his head.

“What do you mean?”

“Your parents, they’re cool with what you wanna do. Mine… fuck, they think I’m three seconds away from knocking up some chick and bringing her home. They think the music thing is just a joke.”

“Just three seconds? You’re pretty damn speedy--”

“Shut up, I’m being serious! And… I get it, y’know? I know not everyone can be a rockstar, I know most guys that start out end up just like everybody else, working some shitty office job or whatever-- but that’s not gonna be me. I’m really gonna do it. I told them that.”

“What’d they say, Paulie?” Ace’s mouth was edged up in a small smile. Paul groaned, taking another swig of wine.

“They said I’d wasted three thousand bucks on a fancy guitar and thrown my education out the window.” He looked away, back out into the New York evening, the dirty cityscape that never could be placid or calm or anything but crummy, even when he was drunk. “Sometimes I’m scared they’re right.”

Ace didn’t say anything for a minute or two, just sipped at his beer. He wasn’t looking at him, but he wasn’t looking at the streets, either. A brief glance and Paul realized Ace was back to staring at the stars he was sure he could barely see.

“They ain’t right. You’re gonna make it. We all are. It’s-- it’s fucking fate, I can see it…” Ace trailed. “Give it a year-- no, give it nine months and we’re gonna be on tour.”

“We can’t be on tour without a manag--”

“We’ll get one. Promise. If we don’t--” Ace paused, brow furrowed in consideration, “If we don’t, I swear to God I’m cleaning Gene’s room.”

Paul snickered.

“You? You’re too lazy to carry your own equipment!”

“Exactly, that’s how you know I mean it!”

“Ace, that’s not how it works--” he snickered again, almost choking on his next swallow of wine. Ace was already slapping him on the back, and Paul shoved his hand away. “God, I wouldn’t wish that room on my worst enemy. You know that’s why I don’t spend the night with him, right?”

“I thought it was ’cause his ma calls you ‘the bum’ and it hurts your poor little feelings--”

“No, it’s because he lives in an actual hellhole.”

“And I thought you wanted to stay over ’cause you liked me, Paulie. Breaking my heart here.”

“Good.”

“Still…” Ace grinned, bringing his beer right up to his lips. “I can just taste the fame at this point. We’re gonna be rockstars sooner than you think, like the Beatles, or the Stones or-- or Bowie.”

“Bowie? What, am I honestly that pretty in makeup up on stage?” Paul laughed at him.

Ace swallowed, nodding his head. “Yeah, yeah. You work that whole androgynous angle in a way that drives the ladies crazy, Paulie.”

“ _What_ ladies? We play for like thirty people, tops! With that kind of enthusiasm I think I’m surprising you more than them…” Paul muttered, shyly turning his eyes away from the guitarist. It must have been the liquor, Paul thought. It was all just loosening them both up a bit too much, maybe a bit too fast. Ace probably wouldn’t be saying these things if he was in his right state of mind… well, a more sober state of mind, anyway.

Beside him, he heard Ace sigh and suddenly finish off the rest of his beer, swallowing it down without a sound. He tossed the empty can over to the rest of them on the fire escape, then turned his eyes back over to his bandmate. 

Paul did his best to ignore those fuzzy feelings building in the pit of his stomach, throwing them down and passing them off as nothing more than the wine getting to him. But… But it honestly felt like something was there, like he was getting caught up in a damn tractor beam of Ace’s own doing. Like those sci-fi movies from when he was a kid, where the aliens would snatch up some unsuspecting humans and they’d just let it happen. He’d always thought that was stupid, but here he was, hypnotized. No, it went deeper than that. There was just this pull that was slowly getting Paul to turn his head to the left, bringing him around until he was staring back at him.

“Ace…” Paul couldn’t move, could hardly blink. He was taking in slow, even breaths, quickly finding himself more and more lost in those dark, vast voids of space that were Ace’s eyes. As Ace leaned a bit closer to him, he could’ve swore he spotted stars swirling in them.

“Paulie…” Ace just seemed to hover in front of him for a solid minute. It seemed as if he were just stealing a whole perfect look at Paul’s face. His full, soft lips, his bushy, unkempt curly hair, his big brown eyes glittering in the starlight that only Ace seemed to see. 

Ace’s hand reached for the wine bottle, and their fingers brushed, but Paul didn’t even breathe. For a moment, neither of them pulled at it. Ace’s lips parted a bit, his tongue darting out to wet his lips, before he tugged the bottle from Paul’s grip and took a quick sip. The lead singer shivered just a bit, and Ace scooted closer until their thighs met. 

Paul’s head felt like it was spinning all of a sudden, his vision blurring at the edges of his eyes if he looked around too quickly or if he thought too hard about what was happening. But that was strangely perfectly alright with him, since right now all he cared to concentrate on was the warmth of Ace pressed up against his side and the faint trace of red around his mouth from the wine. Even now a droplet was trailing from his lips as he stared at him, running down his chin with tantalizing slowness and leaving a line of bright red in its wake.

Paul was weirdly fascinated, absolutely enthralled by that tiny drop of wine and its slow journey down Ace’s chin. Would it taste different, since it had been in Ace’s mouth? Would it feel any different, having touched Ace’s lips? Paul swallowed, suddenly finding no other thoughts in his head and desperately needing to know the answers to his questions.

A smile tugged back at the corner of Ace’s mouth as he raised the bottle for one more drink, a drink that finished off the last of the wine. Paul blinked at him, but he found it hard to say anything with Ace’s shoulder brushing up against his arm.

“So… have you ever kissed a guy?”

“W- What?!” Paul giggled, sharply. His whole face felt like it was heating up far too quickly for it just to be the wine. God, he must’ve been as red as a tomato! “Hahahah! Funny, Ace! Real funny!”

“I’m serious, Paul…”

Oh good lord was he ever with those slanted eyes set on Paul the way they were. Paul just laughed, a bit more nervous this time. Loaded. Ace was just really loaded, enough to where he’d ask him whatever came to mind, that was all. He couldn’t mean anything by it. “Hahah, no… What, have you?”

“No,” Ace sighed, wistfully. His right hand settled itself down on Paul’s thigh, fingers beginning to drum along the top of it in a strange rhythm that still wasn’t as distracting as Ace’s voice. “But do you wanna?”

“Wanna k- kiss a guy…? Ace…” Oh God, was Ace offering to… to… Paul shook his head, curls flying everywhere. No! “No. No, no. I- I’m fine.”

“You’re blushing, Paulie.”

“’S the wine, makes my face red…” Paul protested feebly. Bullshit. He knew it was bullshit. He could feel his flush deepen by the second. It didn’t mean anything, he was just weirded out-- drunk or not, Ace was definitely coming onto him, but he was confused, they were both really confused-- they were both really confused and Ace’s face was inching closer and closer. He could feel Ace’s hot breath against his nose and his head tilt down that slightest bit--

_Do you wanna?_

Yeah. Yeah, he did.

Paul’s lips met Ace’s before he even realized it. It didn’t feel any different from kissing a girl-- he’d thought it would, really thought it would, but it didn’t-- Ace’s lips just a bit chapped but full, very full and warm and wet. He tasted like the alcohol they’d shared, the alcohol and something else, something strange and ethereal that Paul knew his mouth couldn’t hope to capture, but when Ace’s tongue began to slip in to deepen the kiss, he wanted to try. God, he wanted to try.

Parting his lips was easy, thoughtless. Paul got a brief breath in before Ace really started in, pushing his tongue into his mouth in response, hungrily tasting lips and tongue and trying to claim that mouth for his own. Paul pushed back, battling for dominance as he kissed Ace heartily and greedily. Ace’s hand was still tangled up in his hair, holding the lead singer in place as they kissed as though the world were about to end, as though their lives depended on this moment, depended on nothing but their lips and tongues and teeth coming together in hot, messy kisses. 

All thoughts in Paul’s head just vanished in a single sweep as he tasted every inch of Ace’s mouth, discovering him and enjoying every single bit of him that he found. Suddenly, there was a sudden stab of pain as Ace nipped Paul’s bottom lip, and when he pulled away in surprise, he saw the playfully wicked grin on Ace’s face.

Paul’s lips drew together in a tight pout. Two can play at that game, he thought to himself.

Suddenly, Paul dove in for another kiss, taking the lead and dominating Ace with kisses, leaving him breathless and wanting more and more with each time he pulled away. Ace wriggled against him, obviously desperate to take charge of the situation or at least have a little more control over the deepness of their kisses, but Paulie was letting him have none of it.

Desperate, Ace did the only thing his mind could come up with. He slammed himself forward and hooked Paul into a deep kiss, one that grew more heated by the second. Paul felt like he was on fire, like he needed Ace to touch every inch of him _right_ now, or he would just explode! Completely burst into a thousand bits of stardust as he succumbed to his frustration, desire and other feelings he hadn’t even known he had possessed. 

Paul pulled away just to take a ragged, needy breath. That trailing drop of wine was still on Ace’s chin, dripping down his neck, right there, and he didn’t let himself think or consider or anything before kissing against it, tongue darting out to lap that droplet away in a few quick strokes. Salty sweat and wine mingled together in a delirious kind of taste that disappeared way too quickly, leaving Paul licking at just the slight hints of stubble on Ace’s chin instead. But he didn’t mind. He didn’t mind at all. Right now, only for right now, he didn’t care how fucking queer this was, what it said about him, about Ace, what’d happen if they were caught-- he didn’t care. It was like that first awkward kiss he’d stolen way back in high school, it left him with that same feeling, no regrets and no concerns. He just wanted more of it.

Ace mumbled something Paul couldn’t quite catch, tilted his head to capture his lips again. Bolder now. Quickly, Ace’s hand curved around Paul’s cheek and chin, lifting it up like he was a chick or something, and he didn’t mind that, either, as long as Ace kept kissing him. His other hand rubbed against the back of Paul’s neck before settling again for tugging and toying with his curls. It made Paul braver, too, enough to drape both his arms around Ace’s skinny frame, clasping, tugging him tight against him, all but crawling on top of him. Ace shifted, moving his legs out from between the railing so Paul could scramble onto his lap. He was laughing every time he pulled back to breathe, and Ace was laughing, too.

“We’re-- _nngh,_ gonna get arrested-- public indecency--” Paul managed between breathy, messy kisses against Ace’s neck. 

“Aw, Paulie, you really care about that right now?” 

“Nah.” Another exhale. “Figure the cops got hookers to bust or something… this late…”

“Exactly, exactly…” Ace purred, lips gliding right up against Paul’s pouting pair. “Don’t worry about it… Don’t worry about those sorts of things, Paulie. Focus on the now. Focus on us…. Mmm _mhhmmhm,_ ” he pressed onward and hummed into another kiss.

“ _Mmhmn,_ ” Paul smiled as Ace continued to shower him with affection. Suddenly, he couldn’t remember why he was so worried a second ago. Hell, what was there _to_ worry about? How could he even be concerned about a thing when he had such a pretty face smooching him, rubbing fingers against his scalp, and pulling lightly at his hair- which Paul was discovering he loved quite a bit.

The two of them exchanged lazy grins as they leaned back to catch their breath. Ace’s hand that wasn’t tangling itself in Paul’s messy mop dropped down to give a quick pinch to his bottom, causing Paul to moan and seat himself more firmly in Ace’s lap, straddling his thighs perfectly. 

Ace smiled, suddenly breathless again, and snaked both his arms around Paul’s neck to lean in close and whisper, “ _Hey~ Hey there, Paulie~_ ” he breathed, eyelids naturally falling half-closed with a heaviness and a hunger.

Paul smiled eagerly, his hands reaching down to land on and grope the sides of Ace’s thighs. “ _Ace, Ace~_ ” the lead singer crooned out sweetly, leaning all the way onto him. 

“ _Mmmhm,_ ” Ace pressed himself up against his new playmate as he advanced on him. Ace brushed his lips along Paul’s smooth jaw, trailing down one side of his neck and parting for teeth to scrape lightly across the edge of his tan skin.

Paul shivered and moaned, leaning back until Ace was bending over him. 

Unable to resist the sweet calls of his bandmate, Ace shifted even closer, warm tingles running through his veins as his stomach and chest pushed completely flush against Paulie’s, their hips slotted snugly together. He pressed a firm, open mouthed kiss to Paul’s neck and murmured against his skin, “ _Want you…_ ”

Paul huffed out a heavy breath, his hands tightening on Ace’s thighs. He’d been pretty damn aware of it before, but now, with all the distance closed between them, the hard-on straining his jeans was getting more difficult to deal with without some kind of friction. He didn’t even have to glance down to know it was the same for Ace; the way he was straddling him, his dick was right there, way more than an insinuation against his thigh. Oh, God, they were gonna have to take care of that, all this screwing around couldn’t just end here. He wasn’t going to let it. Paul tried to brace himself before experimentally shoving his hips up against Ace’s, grunting a little with every rock. Ace’s breathing was getting harder; he could feel it against him, each winded exhale as he pushed back, not fighting for control anymore, just trying to find a rhythm.

“Fuck,” Ace mumbled, finally, “We… We can’t keep on out here, not unless you wanna come in your pants.”

Paul looked at him blearily, eyes dilated. At the moment that didn’t sound like too bad of an idea, not when Ace was so warm against him here. The thought of getting up seemed almost like too much trouble. He managed another rock of his hips, groaning, before Ace grabbed his arm.

“C’mon, I mean it… gonna make it worth it…” he trailed, pressing a sloppy kiss to his cheek, missing Paul’s mouth entirely. It took a second, but Paul nodded and slowly disentangled himself from Ace’s lap, staggering a little as he got up, reaching a hand out to tug Ace to his feet. Ace’s grip was tight as Paul helped lug him up, and it was all either of them could do to keep from going right back to kissing once they were standing. Paul’s fingers felt empty without Ace to latch onto. He was hard as hell and all the blood that wasn’t going to his dick seemed like barely enough to keep him climbing the fire escape down without falling over and killing himself.

“Hey, hey, your parents--”

Ace raised a finger to his lips.

“They’re used to it. Just be quiet.” The laugh that erupted from Ace’s mouth was louder than it had been even half an hour ago.

Paulie just nodded, ignoring the questions burning in the back of his drunken mind and just following Ace down the rest of the fire escape. When they reached his window, Ace about threw his foot through the glass, momentarily forgetting about it. Paul was surprisingly quick to pull him back before he did it, though.

“Oh… _Duh,_ I gotta pull it up…” Ace muttered to himself. He tugged at the bottom part of the window, yanking it up until he and Paul could slip in easily. Ace, however, actually managed to more or less slip as he stepped into his bedroom.

“ _Fuck--_ ”

“ _Ace?_ ” Paul stuck his head through the open window and cocked his head. “Ace, you okay?”

A weak thumbs up from the floor told him all he needed to know. Paul giggled then, despite his playmate’s tumble, and he stepped into the room after him, even remembering to tug the window back down.

“ _Ace, Ace~_ ” Paulie called out to him, dropping to his knees beside him. His hands needily rubbed at his shoulders as his hard-on continued to rub uncomfortably against his pants. “C’mon, turn over!”

“Mmmhh? ‘M tired, Paulie… Even those from Jendell need their sleepy time…” Ace muttered, incoherently.

“ _Whaaaaat?_ ” Paul whined, loudly. What!? No, no, no. He couldn’t believe this! This wasn’t happening! Ace couldn’t just fall down and leave him like this! But, fuck! It seemed like he was even lazy enough to leave himself all eager and ready to go… 

Paul bit his bottom lip real hard.

“Mmmh, mm, nighty night….” Ace blinked, them shut his eyes completely. His head lolled back against some dirty shirts on the floor, and he rubbed his face into them a few times before settling down and sailing off to dreamland.

Goddamnit. Paul stared at his bandmate there on the floor, even nudging him with his foot as if he were a dog, before fumbling to turn the lamp on and off, trying to wake him with the light.

“C’mon, c’moooon,” he urged, but it was no good. No good at all. Ace wasn’t going to be any help to him the whole rest of the night. That didn’t leave Paul many options besides jacking off in Ace’s bed… which sounded like a great idea until it hit him all the evidence would be right there the next morning. Fuck. Just-- fuck. He hadn’t gone to bed with a hard-on since-- well, since that one girl two months ago waved him off at her doorstep with nothing but a French kiss and a devious grin.

At least he had the bed to himself. Paul turned off the lamplight after another glare at Ace’s prone form on the floor and crawled beneath the blankets. After a guilty minute he tossed one of the covers over to where Ace was laying, before curling up and passing out himself, hands lodged fruitlessly beneath his pants.

 

  
Eventually even Gene couldn’t handle practicing yet another verse of “Cold Gin.” That or he still had papers to grade; Paul wasn’t exactly sure which and didn’t quite have it in him to care, either. Gene had it really easy in comparison. Teach kids in the day, band practice at night-- meanwhile, Paul had finally resigned himself to picking up random cab shifts on top of working at the deli. It was all he could do, really. The band wasn’t getting gigs despite Ace’s stupid prediction-- Peter was losing hope already.

“C’mon, Peter, gotta wait it out-- nine months from now, tops, just like a baby-- by then we’ll make it--”

Peter had just snorted and shook his head. Paul had just focused on tuning his guitar, staring at the strings, and ignoring that weird pang-- what was it, jealousy? Was he really _jealous_ that Ace had told Peter, too?-- flitting somewhere in his stomach. Now that practice was over, though, he was still feeling it, that flitting, that annoying anxiousness. 

It wasn’t Ace’s fault, not entirely; Paul’s chronic case of nerves had been with him since about the age of six, but last night had definitely made it worse. Ace had woken up bright, early, and perplexingly hungry, while Paul had forced down Mrs. Frehley’s toast and eggs and left as soon as he could, only half because he knew he’d puke it all up in front of her otherwise. The other half, well. He just didn’t know what to do. Fuck, it’d been a weird night. Probably best not to talk about it. Any other guy- any normal guy- would have probably let it alone, but it seemed like Ace was hanging onto him way more now. Focusing those sleepy brown eyes right on him more often than he had to. Paul had even caught him staring a couple times, and each time he’d caught Ace, Paul had pretended to be engrossed in chipping the paint off his nails, feeling like a fool.

“Well, I’d say that was a successful night, wouldn’t you guys?” Gene asked through a deep yawn, as he moved to get up from the beat up old armchair he and Peter had dragged up from the side of the street. Ace tossed up two thumbs, and Peter shrugged beside him. That left the pouting singer in the corner. Gene frowned. “C’mon, Paul, wouldn’t you agree? I haven’t heard a peep outta you all night.”

“We sound as good as always,” Paul muttered, hoping Gene would leave it at that. Thankfully, Gene had dealt with him long enough to know the telltale signs of one of his moods, and he just waved him off.

The bassist stood up from the armchair, stretching out, then grabbing his papers before moving over to the door. “Well, I have a bus to catch. You boys take it easy- not too easy, though- and we’ll pick this up tomorrow night. See ya, guys!”

“Bye, Genie!” Ace shouted as the door shut. The moment his footsteps couldn’t be heard anymore, Ace turned his head to Peter and grinned. “Okay, so let’s go take it real, _real_ easy tonight!”

Peter shook his head, his fluffy hair hitting his cheeks. “Nah. I can’t. Not tonight, anyway.”

“Awwwww, why not, Kitty?” Ace pouted, jutting out his lower lip like a two-year old who wasn’t getting his candy. “You said tonight was your only really free night this week!”

“Yeah, yeah. It was…” Peter rubbed at his forehead, grunting a little. “Mmmh, I gotta go home and get clawed at, though.”

“Oh. Lydia find out about Lucy?”

“Lucy, Abby, Tracy…” Peter was ticking them off his fingers like a grocery list. “Ginger and Sarah, those blonde twins with those huge ass tits-”

“Yeah, yeah. Lovely girls~” Ace hummed, leaning his head back as if remembering what they looked like draped over Peter’s arms during one of their nights out. Paul didn’t really get how Peter had any appeal; surely the layabout drummer schtick had to get less sexy the closer Peter got to thirty, but then again, unemployment gave him plenty of time to get laid. “Still- HaA _HHA_ hahA _HAH_ ah, you gotta deal with your kitten’s claws? H _aAH_ aH _aH_ , should we put in an ad for a new drummer right next to your obituary? Genie’ll write ’em both up for us--”

“Ah, cram it, Spaceman,” Peter lightly shoved Ace back as he rose up from his stool. “This Tom Cat’s spent plenty a night on the couch licking his wounds.”

“Peter, Peter,” Ace shook his head, failing to hold back his giggles. “You aren’t going to have anything left to lick once she cuts them off! H _AhA_ HaH _AhA_ A!”

“Fuck you, man, heheh,” The drummer gave him another little playful shove backward. He couldn’t help but smile just a little at his best bud’s laughter, though. It was just too infectious not to bring just a little bit of a smile to his face.

“H _AhAh_ AH, so just me having fun tonight then?”

“Afraid so,” Peter sighed, shoving his hands into his pants pockets, then pulling them back out to produce only two dimes. He groaned, then looked to his friend. “Ace… Hey, help a pal out, would you?”

Ace shook his head back and forth. “Man, I can’t believe you spent your daily dollar allowance already.”

“A cat’s gotta eat!”

“Well, a cat can survive on McDonald’s and not splurge on the deli down the street!” Ace laughed at him. He still reached into his pants and pulled out two dollars for the drummer. “Now don’t go and spend it all at once, h _AHA_ H _ha_ H!”

Peter pocketed the change and grinned. “Thanks, Ace. I owe you, man.”

“Ah, ahh, Peter, I need only be repaid if you don’t die tonight. Taking money from a dead man is bad luck, after all. I’d have to spend weeks talking to cosmic forces to throw those sorta hexes off my back.” Ace explained like it were a simple science or fact. “And damn, I’d have to wait to do a ritual in accordance with the cycle of Earth’s moon. Anything less than a half moon is no good for me. A full moon is the perfect time, you feel?”

Peter just nodded in agreement, taking Ace fully at his word. Paul just raised his brow at them from across the room. Damn. Dammit, why did Gene always leave before he could witness the real strangeness and behavior of their lead guitarist? Sure, he had to listen to the bizarre alien talk, but he never stayed around for the real weirdness.

“Remind me to teach you how to levitate three beer bottles at once next time we meet up.” Ace patted Peter on the back as he walked him to the exit. “Ancient Jendell secret, passed on for centuries. I think you’re worthy now.”

“Hell yeah, man! You gotta show me how to do that wicked trick!” Peter smiled, broadly. “That’ll really impress the ladies.”

“You and your kittens, man.” Ace chuckled, waving him off as he walked out the door. 

The soft click of the door shutting and awkward shuffling of feet was what finally caught Paul’s attention. He breathed in deep, then exhaled, setting his guitar down before looking up.

“Just you and me, huh?” Ace said, the perky tone from earlier only slightly dampened. His expression, though, was the same as always. That same unearthly mix of dreamy mirth and intensity-- or maybe just inebriation. Paul nodded.

“Yeah.” And Ace was now down a drinking buddy. Fantastic. On the one hand, it cleared Paul from having to sit sober or mostly-sober through their antics, just so he could make sure they didn’t do anything too stupid… and on the other hand, it meant he was stuck fully partaking instead. He wasn’t like Gene, couldn’t sit stone sober through everyone else’s partying. Not _all_ the time. He couldn’t explain why, it just chafed at him too much. He’d always wanted to have that nonchalance the hippie crowd had, and even though most his forays with drugs left him embarrassed at best, he still-- wanted to be cool enough for them. 

But he knew that alcohol and marijuana both calmed the buzz in his brain too damn much. If it wasn’t with Ace, if it wasn’t for the other night, he wouldn’t worry, but… Paul cleared his throat, and silently damned his sister for permanently leaving her squalling toddler at his parents,’ and his parents for turning their apartment into a fortress of utter disapproval that he was tired of trying to sleep in. “Hey, listen, Ace…”

“Yeah, Paulie?”

“Let’s not go overboard tonight.”

Ace’s smile was positively gleeful.

“You’re gonna do it? You’re gonna go drinking with me?”

“It’s that or watch your mom make cookies.”

“Hey, now. You don’t know Ma well enough for that yet.”

Yet?

“What are you talking about?” Paul shook his head, trying his best to follow the conversation.

Ace snorted. “Like my Ma would let you discover the secrets of her cookie making when she still hardly knows you. Nah, you gotta be part of the family to know our secrets.”

“Like your secret of being from another planet?”

“Pffft, heck no. I tell people that all the time. No one bats an eye, honestly.” Ace told him, smoothly. His arm swung over Paul’s shoulders just as smooth as his words slid into his ear. He gave him another big grin. “Shall we be off, Paulie?”

Paul shrugged off his arm but didn’t move away as Ace stepped a bit closer beside him. He only turned his head to the side, avoiding his tractor beam gaze.

“Sure, what the hell. Why not?”

“Yay!” Ace clapped, then tugged Paul forward towards the exit by his jacket.

Luckily, they remembered to lock the doors before they left, but it was Paul who insisted they go back and actually lock them. Ace waited down on the sidewalk, tapping his foot in a slow rhythm while he stood there. Paul couldn’t ignore the actual brightening of Ace’s eyes as they landed back on him as he walked down the stairs. There was just something so charming, so alluring about his gaze-- Paul shook his head. God, he was starting to spiral a bit with that. 

Silently, Paul just followed behind Ace as they walked three blocks to one of Peter and Ace’s favored watering holes. Just a bar the two of them enjoyed coming to when they were in more of a mood to get drunk, bitch about life or drunkenly attempt to play pool with more sober players and lose five bucks on their betting. Nothing special at all. More than once, Gene had grumbled that they might as well use Ace and Peter’s bar connections to try and get gigs, before Paul pointed out that they’d only make things worse.

Ace held the door open for him, and Paul momentarily stopped, eyes jumping up from the ground to Ace’s curious brown gaze.

“Just being polite,” Ace murmured, softly, as if he were keeping his voice low not to startle him. Like he was a deer or maybe a rabbit. It should’ve been insulting, but it wasn’t. Paul couldn’t deny Ace’s gentle tone worked to keep his thoughts from sprinting from his head to his mouth. God knows he couldn’t go spilling those words out in a public space... 

“Thanks…”

Without another word, Paul headed on in, not stopping until he reached the bar and sank down on the stool right at the end. Ace trailed on in after him, humming along to a broken tune he must’ve come up with on the spot, and plopped himself down right beside Paul.

“Hey! Hey, bartender! I need a couple shots of your strongest whiskey down here for my friend and I!”

Shots? Wasn’t that a little hard to start off their night with?

Paul opened his mouth to say just that when Ace held two fingers up near his face, blocking him from saying a word. Scrunching his brows together in a bit of frustration, Paul grabbed Ace’s hand and laid it flat on the counter, unintentionally resting his own hand atop of it as he did so.

“Ace,” Paul said, catching his attention. “What are you-”

“Fuck, Paulie- Listen, we both need a drink right now!” Ace told him, flatly. For the first time all day, Ace’s face showed a little more than his usual lazy grin or sleepy expressions. He seemed almost… what, concerned? Nervous? Paul couldn’t pinpoint it exactly, but he could’ve sworn Ace at least seemed to have a bit of an anxious edge to him right there.

“C’mon, is this--” Paul started, cutting himself off before he could finish, as the bartender slid two shots their way. He waited until he’d turned back around, and then added, quietly, “About last night?”

Ace grabbed one of the shotglasses, gulping it down without so much as a shudder, staring at Paul the whole time. Slowly, slow enough that Paul barely noticed, Ace slid his other hand out from under Paul’s own.

“No shit, Sherlock. Now drink your drink.”

Paul hesitated. The dim lights of the bar reflecting off the glass weren’t nearly tantalizing enough to merit how hard he was staring at it. He’d barely wanted to mention that night, but now that he had, now that it was out there, for both of them, part of him really did finally feel like drinking, if only to keep any more hot embarrassment from finding its way to his face. If only to dull things out a little bit. Make things simple and stupid. Worry about this during his hangover afterwards. Put it all off. Maybe Ace had the right idea after all. He drained the glass, setting it down on the counter with a dull thump.

Ace drew in a slow breath, then whispered to him, “Okay, okay… So you know that feeling right before you orgasm, like you’re floating and everything is bliss?”

Paul snorted. “Yeah. Yeah, I’m aware of it, Ace.”

“Alright… So,” Ace glanced up and met his eyes. “So last night… Last night, it felt like I was feeling that moment forever with you.” he sighed, softly. “I couldn’t get enough of it… then I passed out- which sorry, by the way…”

Paul felt himself blush. He thanked God his bushy hair covered the side of his cheeks or else he’d be too worried over anyone else in the bar noticing it. ...Or, well, they’d probably just think he was drunk.

“It’s… uh… it’s okay, Ace, we shouldn’t have been--” _Doing that shit anyway_ was on the tip of his tongue, but after a confession like that he didn’t have the stomach to finish. “It’s okay,” he repeated lamely, rubbing his finger against the rim of his empty shotglass.

Ace’s shoulders sunk momentarily, and he went silent long enough that Paul cocked his head at him, waiting. But instead of gazing right back at him, Ace turned away. He seemed to be considering something, and by the time he turned his head back, Paul already knew what it was.

“All right, all right. You wanna be that way about it…” and then, louder, “Two more!”

“ _Ace!_ ”

Two more shots slid down to them. Ace grabbed his and down it without wasting a single moment. His eyes turned to Paul, raising up a bit from their usual slant as if to ask if he were man enough to try to go shot to shot with him. Paul shook his head, but his fingers were already moving to the fuller glass.

He stared down at it for a second. Damn, the first one already made him feel all warm inside. At two, he knew he wouldn’t be driving them back to Ace’s parents’ apartment. How many did Ace expect him to drink with him? _Until he told the truth…_ The words echoed in the back of his mind, and they only rang louder as his eyes rose back up to Ace’s face.

Paul downed the shot. The shotglass hit the counter with a soft thud, clinking a bit as it was slid into the first one of his.

“We… We kissed,” Paul admitted, softly. “I liked it… I liked it a lot.”

“You loved it,” Ace smiled at him. “It’s alright, it’s alright. I loved it, too. Mmhm, really loved it when you started bucking your hips against me…”

“God… You remember everything from last night?” Paul asked, unsure if the heat rising to his face was from embarrassment or excitement over the information.

“A Jendell mind never forgets,”

Paul rolled his eyes. “Ace… You couldn’t even tell Gene what you had for lunch today.”

“A Jendell mind never forgets… but a person of Jendell can have a selective memory.” Ace shrugged.

“A very, very spaced out memory bank, then.” Paul found himself chuckling. He had never expected Ace’s alien rambling to be a welcome distraction, but right now, it was. Far better than any more talk about the details of the night before. Just regular, dumb bullshitting. It was fine. It was cool. “Man, you must’ve hit your head pretty hard when you landed on Earth!”

“Pfft- please, Paulie,” Ace grinned and placed his hand on his chest. “Me? I have excellent piloting skills! Earth’s gravity just yanked me down and made me crash!”

“Hahahah! What is this, Ace? It sounds like an old, cheap pick up line…” Paul shook his head.

“Ooooohhh! Hey, try to spin it into one. C’mon, Paulie~”

“Ahh, sure, whatever,” Paul hummed, searching around in his brain for one. “Ah… So did it hurt when you fell from heaven?”

“PFffft! HA _AHaH_ AAH _ahAa_ hHA! You serious?! That’s the best cheap pick up line you got? Jesus, no wonder you’ve only gotten three girls!”

“Shuddap!”

“Three girls. Why the hell do I always remember that? Fucking selective memory for sure. Hey, hey! You only been laid three times, too, or--”

“ _No,_ Ace, shut up--”

“Three lays, three shots.” Ace waved the bartender over again. “Two more. Don’t worry, man, my buddy’s paying! Aren’cha, Paulie?”

Paul was almost to the point of yelling that he wasn’t paying for any of this. To put it all on Ace’s tab. Damn it, this was all Ace’s fault to begin with, going to the bar in the first place, taking the shots-- even last night on the fire escape. Ace had started that, too, talking about Bowie and kissing guys and…

Flipping him off was a lousy revenge, but Paul did it anyway. Ace just shook his head.

“Already tried.”

“Dammit, Ace! I- Is this really just a joke to you?”

“Dunno, Paulie. Is it to you?” Ace grabbed his next shot. His tone had changed. Even his demeanor. Oh, he was definitely still drunk, sure, but the cackles and the levity were gone, same as they’d been before that first shot of the night. Something about that, the contrast, the sudden seriousness, made Paul almost shiver. “‘’Cause if it is, you might as well put your drink down now.”

“Ace--”

“I know you’re shy as hell, but fuck, if you can’t even own up to what we did-- I mean, really. ‘We kissed, I liked it’? That's all you've got to say? Are we in fucking grammar school here? Are you gonna be puking your guts out before you admit we were trying to fuck?”

“Keep it down! We’re in a bar, for Chrissake!”

“Dammit, Paulie! Listen to me! I- I want some acknowledgement here…” Ace downed his third shot, setting it back onto the counter when it was empty. He sighed, “I don’t… Paul… _I’m serious._ ”

Paul licked his lips, nervously. “About last night?”

Ace nodded.

“About what you said about focusing on… on _us?_ ”

“Yeah,” Ace gave a single nod. “But I have to know…”

Paul raised his head back and blew out a deep breath. He could feel the sweat all over his palms. Still not drunk enough yet for his nerves to fly out the window. Still not drunk enough to admit to everything. He was a coward. Ace didn’t even know how big of a coward he really was.

It felt like time was slowing down. Like there was a curtain of fog or steam or something over the whole bar, giving everything a comfortable blur. Everything but Ace, sitting there beside him, as solid and real as he’d been last night when they’d fooled around. Was that all it was? Fooling around, same as they’d both done in the backseat of a half-dozen cars with a half-dozen girls? Was that it?

He didn’t know yet. But he did know one thing. And with one more shot of whiskey in him, he knew he could manage to say it.

“God,” he murmured, throwing back his third shot with his head. Liquid courage, indeed. “ _God, Ace…_ I wanted it, okay? _Wanted you._ ”

“Still?”

“ _Ace,_ listen,” Paul scooted a bit closer to him. His stool squeaked against the floor as he moved over, stopping only when their thighs were brushing against each other. “Listen to me… You took charge of me, pulled me by the hair, held me on your lap… fuck, I never had anybody do me like that before. What were those sweet nothings you whispered?” Paul crooned, softly to him.

“Ohh, oh, Paulie,” Ace’s smile was slowly pulling the corners of his lips back again. The levity was returning just a bit, and there was something soft, something real gentle to his change of tone. “You mean it, don’t you? Man… Under those shaky nerves, you… _Aww…_ ” Ace happily brushed his shoulder against his and hummed, warmly.

“ _Ace, Ace~_ I wanna hear them again…” Paul whispered in his ear. His hands started to reach over and rest on his thigh, kneading into it through his jeans. “A- And your promise of us making it. I need to hear it all again... Please, please! It made everything better~”

“Right-- _nghh._ ” Oh. Oh, fuck. Paul’s hand wasn’t more than an inch from his dick. Ace’s eyes widened, and it was all he could do to keep from stammering. He’d hoped to up the ante, force Paul to make a decision, to own up or shut up, but this was way more than he’d ever expected. Way more. “Right now?”

“ _Now_ you’re getting cold feet? After bitching at me that whole time? Sheesh.” Paul’s fingers moved in small circles around Ace’s thigh, just barely brushing against the start of his erection. “Maybe I can remind you…”

“Shit, Paul, this… this really ain’t the place… ” But Paul wasn’t just whispering in his ear anymore. No, he was starting to nibble at the lobe. “Ah, fuck, _no--_ ” Ace had to half-shove Paul’s head back. His own face was florid, and he could feel more than a couple of pairs of eyes on them both. God, he couldn’t get kicked out of this bar-- he liked it here, damn it… his gaze flew hazily to a brunette about ten feet away. “Paul! Hey, over there! That chick’s all by herself, maybe she wants a little Starchild company, yeah?”

Slowly, Paul turned his head, glancing over at the girl Ace had pointed out. Yeah, yeah, she was pretty and had that lusty look in her eye, but… Paul turned back around to his bandmate. She was much too far away for him to attempt to stumble over to and flirt with. Besides, he had a much prettier face sitting beside him, one that had already kissed him sweetly, warmly and welcomed the thought of more.

_More…_

Paul’s fuzzy mind was overcome with the word and the thoughts it brought along with it. The idea of continuing where they had left off from last night lit a fire in his belly and stirred his desires in just the right way. 

Gradually, Paul lifted one hand up and pressed his hand against Ace’s neck, drawing his thumb across his hot skin. Ace shivered, trying not to fall into that beautiful darkened void of Paul’s heavy gaze. Trying oh so hard to not stare at the lead singer’s plump lips that had drawn up in a cute pout, either. God, it was getting hard… God, he was getting hard...

“Paul, we’re in public--” Ace tried to keep the suspicion off of them. He tried to shove Paul’s hand away, only for Paul to reach up with his other hand and snatch it up, bringing it close to his lips and almost kissing his knuckles.

“ _More, more…_ ” Paul murmured, incoherently. The eyes on them went unnoticed by the pleasantly drunk singer, and he could hardly give a damn about what labels they must’ve been slapping on either of them at that point. 

The bartender- and also owner of the bar- turned from cleaning his glass and turned to look down at them. “Hey, fags! Pay and get the hell outta my bar! This ain’t _your_ kinda joint, and I sure as hell won’t stand for it stinking up my place!”

Ace shot a glare at him from over his shoulder, then his eyes did a quick sweep to the rest of the bar from there, finding a few handfuls of eyes on them, glaring them down in contempt. While heat and hatred built up in his system over the scorn, worry also began to worm its way into his train of thought. They were definitely outnumbered and waaaaay too drunk to try to defend themselves if the crowd decided to turn violent. He knew he couldn’t run straight to save his life the way he was right now, but Ace was less concerned about himself and more concerned over his much more drunk bandmate currently trying to make his way over onto his lap. 

Left with little to no options, Ace leaned over, grabbed Paul’s wallet from his back jeans pocket, and tossed out a couple of bucks for their drinks. No tip. Ace would never tip some lousy jerk who couldn’t accept people’s affections and desires. One of the humans of Earth’s lower points, he thought to himself. 

“C’mon, Paulie,” Ace stood up, slinging a protective arm around Paul’s shoulders as he stood beside him. Paul just giggled drunkenly and buried his face into Ace’s chest and neck, nuzzling him needily. For a moment, he smiled down at him and rubbed his shoulder. Returning his gaze to the unwelcoming crowd around them, his face fell and hardened. “C’mon… We’ll take care of you someplace else. This bar sucks…” 

Quickly, quietly they made their way to the exit. Ace tried his best to keep Paulie from stumbling over the wooden floor, but he still had to help him through the door-frame. A glass bottle shattered loudly against the wall next to Ace’s head as he walked through the door after Paul, but he just walked on. His hand curled up into a tight fist at his side, shaking ever so slightly.

“ _Ace…?_ Ace, what was--” Paul mumbled, confused as to why they had gotten up and left so suddenly. What was that shattering sound, too? When did Ace get glass shards in his hair? Paulie reached up with his hand to try and grab a loose shard, but Ace’s hand stopped him. “Hey, what happened--”

“‘S nothing. We’re going home.” Ace hoped the finality in his voice might keep Paul from pressing the issue, and he started walking faster, tugging Paul and gripping him tighter to make sure he could keep up.

“Nothing? That’s nothing?” The drunken concern in Paul’s tone hurt and made him feel warm all at once. “Shit. Shit, I… I guess I shouldn’t have… sorry. I’m sorry, Ace. Here, lemme get it out…”

“Just keep walking. It’s okay.”

“It’s not. Here. I got you.”

“Paul--”

“ _Ouch!_ ” Paul yelped, yanking his hand back with the glass shard now embedded in his palm. 

Ace’s heart instantly got stuck in his throat. “Paulie! Dammit, I told you-” He stopped mid-sentence as he saw the deep red liquid running down his palm and down onto his arm. Damn, it cut deep. There was already a lot of it just bursting free, and it was getting all over the place. Ace immediately felt sick.

“Ow, fuck! Ouch, owww, oww! _Ace!_ ” Paul was crying and frightened.

Ace groaned, but he stopped and led them over to the closest bus stop. Tears began to build up in Paul’s eyes as he was tugged over to the bench and forced to sit down. Ace stood over him and grabbed his hand.

“I-it’s not that bad,” Paul started to ramble through small pained mumbles, but it looked bad, it looked awful, “It’s not that bad, it’s just that-- I-- I get you thrown out and then I… can’t even get the glass out of your hair without screwing up...” 

“Paul- Paulie, shush,” Ace sighed, softly. His eyes narrowed at the glass shard, and before Paul could even blink, Ace had ripped it out and tossed it onto the sidewalk. It hadn’t even hurt! Well, it still hurt and now more blood was gushing out than ever, but that first part was painless! “Now hold still…”

“Ace--” Paul’s eyes widened as Ace lowered his face down to his hand, opening his mouth. Smoothly, his tongue curled out and licked a long stripe across the cut, stopping the bleeding. Another lick numbed his hand, the third closed the wound up, and the last licked away all the blood covering his palm.

Silently, the lead guitarist moved back and wiped his face with his sleeve, smearing a bit of red on it. “I wonder if you’re drunk enough that you won’t remember this happening tomorrow?” Ace muttered, softly.

Paul didn’t even answer at first, still staring at his palm. Even in the dim streetlight his eyes were almost bulging out of his head. The pain was gone, the blood was gone-- even as drunk as he was, he knew he’d gotten sliced up-- that kind of thing just didn’t disappear with some spit. That kind of thing would’ve meant at least a week off band practice, it would’ve screwed everything up, but Ace, somehow Ace had...

“ _Holy shit!_ Holy shit, you-- how did you-- I knew it! _I knew it!_ ” Paul shoved the palm of his hand toward Ace’s face. “I knew it wasn’t bullshit! Ever since you showed us that magic trick!” And then he was back to staring at his hand himself, running his finger through the spit before putting it in his mouth, a look of wonder almost frozen on his face. “Y- You can’t be doing things like that!”

“Aren’t you gonna thank me?”

“Yeah, I mean, thank you, but-- I--” Paul stopped himself before he could go on another ramble about how Gene would forgo the whole music thing and start promoting Ace as a sideshow attraction if he ever found out. “I-- how did you, why did you--”

“I like you, Paulie.”

“I-- I-- Ace,” Paul fell silent for a moment. His brow furrowed, and he just kept staring down at his hand.

Ace drew in a breath, then cast it away, deflated. He knew he shouldn’t be. Honestly… what had he expected? Paul’s admittance at the bar must’ve just been where it began and stopped. Last night didn’t mean the same thing to him. Who was he trying to foo-

“I like you, too, Ace.” Paulie murmured aloud, glancing back up at him. The smile on his face was soft- still plenty of room for it to tug back down into a confused frown or pout- but Ace was starting to figure out that that was just how his face worked.

Paul reached out and grabbed Ace’s hands in his. 

“Paulie, I--” Ace’s words got cut off as Paul yanked him down onto his lap and locked their lips together. Ace’s eyes widened when he felt Paul’s lips collide with his so soon after last night. Oh sweet lord, he about melted into him right then and there. His heart even skipped a beat when he was pulled even closer in by his skinny waist.

“Mmhmm,” Paul hummed happily against his mouth, drumming his fingers along Ace’s backside. Onlookers be damned! This! This was the only thing he cared about right now!

Ace, having listened to Paul’s words and compliments earlier, couldn’t just sit by and let the singer run the show. He had to jump in and take charge, and it didn’t take long before he made his move.

Paul gasped when Ace bit his bottom lip. It was more than enough for the lead guitarist to wriggle his tongue in, forcing Paul’s lips to fully part and open for him. Happily, Paul welcomed his tongue, showing his appreciation with a soft moan as the warm muscle caressed his inside. God, it even still tasted coppery and sweet… Paul knew he shouldn’t have been enjoying it that much- Ace’s tongue had just licked up his blood- but he couldn’t bring himself to give a damn about it!

Wanting more, Paul brought his arms up and around Ace’s neck. The air around them was really starting to heat up as Ace pressed onward into his Paulie, tongues dancing with one another, hands groping each other’s bodies. Paul’s hand snuck under Ace’s shirt, thumb caressing the tip of his hip. Ace’s hand reached over to Paul’s bushy hair, grabbing a fistful of the dark hair and giving it a hard yank back, momentarily ripping him back from their kiss. Paul cried out sharply, feeling all the blood left in his body begin to rush south very quickly. As much as he was enjoying the tugs, though, his lips drew back up into his customary pout, desperately wanting to join back with Ace’s. Ace obliged, taking a very deep breath before attaching their lips again. It was addicting! And damn him if he weren’t easily hooked on new addictions!

Paulie’s kisses were just something else, though! He had to have them- had to have them all! Even more so when Paul’s lips tasted like alcohol with a hint of iron smeared on there by his own tongue. He was really, really starting to enjoy his new partner beneath him. Ace just loved watching his face fill with pleasure as he continued to basically hump him right there on a dirty bus stop bench. 

**_HONK, HONK!!!_ **

Ace blinked and pulled back. Paul whined as he pulled back.

“Ohhh… the bus…” Ace muttered, quietly.

“Hey, you two waiting on the bus or what?” The call of the bus driver rang out to them from inside the rusty, old vehicle.

Ace bit his lip. Dammit… He and Paulie really needed to get back to his parents’ place… He didn’t have enough money for a cab, and Paul had graciously paid his tab off… But, he really didn’t want to stop what they were doing right now…

Decisions, decisions.

Turned out, common sense won over for once. A rare occasion, Ace was sure Paul would say if he weren’t too drunk at the moment. 

Reluctantly, Ace pulled away, his heart aching at the sound of Paulie’s whining at the sudden loss of pleasure.

“Awww… Paulie, please,” Ace murmured, softly to him. He held him up and started moving them onto the bus. “Please, don’t gimme that look. We’ll be home soon… I can take care of you soon…”

Paul shivered a bit as he felt that whisper on his ear.

“Promise?”

“Yeah, of course, I promise. Jendell promise; I never break those.” Ace whispered, hot breath fanning Paul’s ear. As the two of them sat down in the back, Paul smiled and turned, leaning over to lock lips with him once more. Ace purred into it, feeling ever so grateful for the relative acceptance of the bus driver. Of course, by New York standards, he knew that if this was all he and Paulie were doing, then they would be the easiest passengers this guy would have all night.

They were jostled the whole bus ride, but neither of them cared. Paul leaned his head against Ace’s, which was cute at first, until the bus turned a sharp corner and the side of Paul’s skull connected with Ace’s, leaving them both groaning in pain. But besides that kiss, Paul was good. No groping on the bus. Ace was almost worried Paul was already starting to sober up, until he felt Paul reach behind him and tug at his hair. He glanced over a little sluggishly.

“Yeah?”

“There. I got another one.” Paul held out his hand. A small sliver of glass rested between his fingers. “They shouldn’t have pulled that shit. You kept trying to stop me. Should’ve thrown it at me instead.”

“Shouldn’t have thrown it at all,” Ace grunted back. “Shouldn’t have fucking cared. I don’t get why anybody does.”

“Well, it’s--” Paul started to explain, or try to, in some muddled fashion, just as the bus slowed up to a stop. Their stop. The Frehley’s apartment was only across the street. Paul stumbled to his feet, a little steadier now, though Ace was still grabbing him by the shoulder just in case. “It’s not, y’know, normal, I guess…”

“We’re not normal.”

Paul laughed quietly as they walked towards the apartment complex, leaning into Ace more than he needed to.

“Yeah. Yeah, you have no idea.”

Just as they reached the front stairs to the apartment, Ace stopped and flopped down on the second step. Paul blinked, feeling far too drunk to really question him at this point. He just watched as the lead guitarist patted the spot right next to him.

“Pull up a seat, Paulie~”

“Okay, okay,” Paul sighed, turning around and accidentally sitting right down on Ace’s lap. There was a soft _oof_ , and then Ace moved him over to his left so that he could sling an arm around his shoulders. 

“Hey, Paul… I’ve noticed things over the years, a lotta strange things- even by my standards.”

Paul nodded. He wasn’t sure where Ace was going, but he’d let him talk.

“I mean, don’tcha think humans are a weird buncha crazy monkeys. You don’t give into pleasure as much as you’d like… You’d rather give into a buncha other crap like fighting or something.”

“It’s like I’m listening to _Socrates…_ ” Paul muttered, softly, shaking his head just a bit.

“Paul--”

“Awww, Ace. I know what you mean… but… but- hell, I don’t know… You expect me to know how society functions?”

“I dunno,” Ace shrugged. “You tried to go to college. ...Should I ask Gene instead?”

Paul elbowed him in the ribs. 

“Hey, watch it… you wanna ask a theology major about society? Shit, you could do worse.” Paul sighed. “I get it. I mean, I don’t get it, but… look, people are always gonna find something to rag you about. Even if you try to be like everybody else.”

Ace inched over to him, resting his hand atop of his. “But I don’t wanna be like everybody else… I wanna be me. I want to have moments like this. I want them to be with someone I know gets me. I… Oh, Paulie… Listen, I really l--”

“ _Ace…!_ ”

He looked over to the lead singer and tried to reel back, but it was too late! Paul had opened his mouth- probably to cut in- and unfortunately his stomach wasn’t built up for that strong whiskey. Green ended up all over his chest, dripping down into his lap… Goddamn… It was the last time Ace was letting Paul order a green goddess salad for his lunch.

Holding his head up the best he could, Paul swayed a little from side to side, trying his best to hold back anything else. Beside of him, Ace just held out his arms and stared down at the mess.

“Paul… _Eugh..._ Y- You’re lucky I have such a hard-on for you right now…” Ace muttered, scrunching up his nose in disgust.

Paul didn’t answer at first, coughing hard and spitting up the last of the vomit-- on the stairs this time, thankfully. Despite all attempts to force his stomach to behave, he ended up dry-heaving a few times, too, burying his hands in his hair, back doubled painfully over the steps. Ugh. Vomiting always brought that awful hyper-awareness of every smell and sound, and it was all he could do to keep from retching again just from breathing in the staleness of his own puke. Even his own grunts were making his head split.

“Shit, I’m sorry, Ace… ugh, oh, God…” Paul winced, wiping his mouth off with the back of his sleeve. Ace just sighed.

“C’mon, get up… let’s get out of these…”

Paul had his shirt off before he’d even managed to stand. So much for all his coordination being shot. Ace couldn’t bite back a small snort even under the circumstances.

“H _Ah_ Aa _hhA_ H, just don’t remove your pants before we get you inside, Paulie.” Ace chuckled, grabbing onto Paul’s shoulders to finally guide him up and inside his parents’ apartment.

By the sheer grace of God, neither of them tripped over or fell over their own feet as they walked into the apartment. Paul was still moaning a bit, holding his head with one hand and his dirty shirt with the other, just letting Ace steer him around. Ace led them to the bathroom and pulled the door close to shut, hoping that none of their noise would make his Ma get up and investigate. He did not feel like explaining why Paulie had gotten sick, and he just knew Paul wouldn’t survive one bombarding question after another from her if she heard he was sick.

Ace steadied himself as he rested his hands on the sink, glancing up into the mirror and smiling at Paul’s attempt to get his pants off. There was just something funny about how he tried hopping out of them, too drunk to probably realize he should’ve been trying to yank them down.

“Paulie, no, no. That’s not how you- Aw, just c’mon over here.” Ace shook his head, turning around. He walked until he was flush against Paul’s backside and rested his hands right down on his hips. They worked slowly to remove his jeans, making sure to keep his boxers on, and rub over his thighs as slowly as Ace pleased. Paul sure did have nice thighs…

“Ace… God, do you have some mouthwash in here?” Paul whined, turning his head only to whack Ace with a faceful of black curls.

“Pff, pftt,” Ace spat out a mouthful of hair. He stepped back an inch and motioned to the cabinet on the wall with his head. “Over there. Hey- Wait, lemme get your jeans off-”

“I got it, I got it!” Paul told him, yanking one leg up, then immediately falling back into Ace’s chest. “I… Ah, I don’t got it…”

Ace shook his head. “You think, Paulie?”

“I’m trying…”

“You are. But let’s try a little harder not to slip and crack our skulls on the tub, okay?”

“Mmmh, fine.” Paul muttered, arching up out of Ace’s hold and pulling his last leg from his jeans. He kicked them away into the corner before yanking open the cabinet and grabbed the mouthwash. Ace watched him with heavy eyes, thinking it was sort of cute how Paulie threw back a lid full of mouthwash just like it was a shot. Of course, it was sort of ruined when Paul spat up into the sink again. “ _Ugh,_ I still feel like shit…”

“Yeah, I know.”

“Hey, you gonna... take that off?” Paul pointed, maybe unnecessarily, to the vomit on Ace’s shirt and pants.

“Aw, I thought you’d never ask~”

Carefully, Ace lifted his shirt off and threw it into the corner along with Paul’s pants. He hooked his thumbs into the sides of his pants after that and yanked them down just an inch, testing to see if Paul’s eyes followed. They did. Even in his drunken state of mind, they watched on as Ace began to peel his pants off.

“ _If he hadn’t gotten sick… If we weren’t both drunk as hell…_ ” He thought to himself. Damn, the things he thought about doing with him… At least it was an easy thought to shake away as Paul wandered back over to him, throwing his arms around his now much more bare waist.

Ace kicked off his pants onto the floor and then happily pressed into the warm body cuddling into him. He raised his head a bit and chuckled as Paul groped his ass through his boxers.

“Paulie, Paulie,” Ace murmured softly to him. “Whatcha doing?”

“Trying to feel better,” Paul mumbled back. Just one layer separating them now. No chafing jeans, no interruptions, besides his own wooziness. He tugged Ace in as tight as he could, pressing his chest against his, before starting to lick lightly down his neck. “Isn’t working yet.”

“Hey, did you gargle just for me? So sweet,” Ace drawled the words out, unable to help himself. “Mm, maybe you just need some more help…” he trailed, reaching out a hand to tip Paul’s head up so he could meet his lips. 

That first kiss was more cautious. Ace wasn’t totally convinced Paul was done throwing up, even if he had started dry-heaving. But Paul was insistent, tongue shoving into Ace’s mouth as his hands slid up and down Ace’s back, as if he were trying to insinuate his fingerprints against his skin. Memorize every inch he’d laid bare.

“Mmmhhmn, Paulie, you’re driving me up the wall…” Ace groaned, breaking their lips for a moment.

Paul opened his mouth, ready as ever to respond back or whine, but was stopped as Ace reached out to twine his fingers through Paul’s hair and pull their faces back together until there was barely a breath of space between them. Faintly, he heard his own heart beating loudly in his chest, and then Ace’s lips were back on his and all thought completely left his mind. 

Paul groaned. There was a part of him that was wishing that he was a little more sober, because he was pretty sure that this was the best kiss of his entire life. Ace’s lips were dry but firm, pressing against his in a way that demanded the entirety of his attention. Paul’s knees were turning into jelly, and he was pretty sure it wasn’t entirely due to the alcohol.

When they finally pulled apart to breath, Paul was panting, and he was pleased to see that Ace looked similarly affected. It made him grin, especially when he noticed that Ace hadn’t backed away at all. Ace’s hand was still in his hair, petting a little now and making him almost purr in pleasure. Paul always did love having his hair played with.

“So…” Ace said, eyes darting down to Paul’s kiss-swollen lips. His eyes flicked back up and caught his eyes, and he hummed in delight at what he saw. Paulie’s eyes were littered with starlight, just absolutely glowing for him. Ace could’ve sworn he saw a shooting star fall in the right one. “What now?”

“ _More, more,_ ” Paul echoed, completely entranced by the man before him.

“Awww, Paulie… I know you want more. I want more, too…” Ace muttered, softly. He leaned forward and kissed his cheek, nuzzling into him and saying, “But we better just head to my room…”

“Whe- Where is your room again…?” Paul asked, tiredly.

“Mm, just… back up, keep backing up…” It was inelegant, fumbling, but Ace didn’t want to get away from Paul for even the fifteen seconds it’d take for them to cross out of the bathroom and into his room just a couple feet away. Even though the door was open, Paul still ended up hitting his back on the doorknob, but he only managed a small grunt before being led full-on into the room, Ace backing him up to the still-unmade bed, where Paul collapsed with a groan.

“Mmmhm, there’s a mustard stain on the sheets…” Paul groaned, turning over until his back was against the wall.

Ace rolled his eyes at him. “Hey, hey, I didn’t hear you complaining when you shanghaied my bed last night-”

“You were passed out! And I gave you a blanket!” Paul whined, then held out his hands to him. Ace sighed and gave into his grabby hands, quickly finding himself being tugged close. Paul darted forward, pressing their lips together for a gentle kiss, trying a little too hard to pour all of his feelings into the soft movements of his mouth on Ace’s.

“Mhm, I really, really enjoy this part,” Ace hummed as the two broke apart for air.

“I like you, Ace.” Paul whispered as he pulled away, staring up into the beautiful brown eyes that he found himself falling deeper and deeper for.

Ace blinked at him in awe; it just caught him by surprise! He hadn’t said anything to provoke it this time, not anything. That meant it meant something, right? That meant Paul was serious. Drunk, but serious. At least right now. He could handle that. He could definitely handle that.

“I really like you, Paulie.” he smiled, and made Paul’s heart leap with excited joy.

The lead singer pressed one more kiss to Ace’s before laying his head back down on the pillow, his whole body thrumming with contentment. Tenderly, Ace began to stroke the hair off his forehead, and Paul hummed in approval.

He was drifting off after a minute or two, so entirely relaxed in Ace’s arms that nothing else mattered right now. Then he was roused by Ace’s voice, quieter and more serious than it had been before.

“I wonder… Have I done that?” He murmured seemingly to himself, hand going still on Paul’s head.

“Hmmn, done what?” Paul didn’t bother to open his eyes, too comfortable to move.

“Have I been sweet enough and good enough for you to really deserve this?” Ace asked him, gently cupping his cheek.

Paul blinked his eyes open and glanced up at Ace’s face. It seemed too tight, too sour to be Ace’s real face. Not a trace of easy nonchalance. He seemed almost worried, like his entire universe hung on the answer Paul would give him.

Nobody had ever looked at him like that before. Like they depended on him. No, like they needed him. He didn’t know how that was possible. Ace didn’t know him well enough to-- to really want to be around him, not that badly. Did he? Paul’s heart froze and clenched in his chest and suddenly his throat felt tight. It took a moment for him to find his voice again. 

“Yes…” he whispered, softly, reaching out to slide his hands around the back of Ace’s neck and leaning forward to rest his forehead on his. “Yes. Fuck yeah, Ace. The absolute sweetest~”

“Paulie…”

“Ace, Ace~ You’ve been so sweet to me!” Paul continued to ramble on, pressing gentle kisses across Ace’s jawline. “So sweet~!”

Ace made a soft, happy sound and wrapped his arms around Paul’s waist, hugging him close. “Paulie, baby… I promise, we’re gonna make it together. Together,” Ace mumbled, bowing his head to nuzzle into Paul’s neck.

Paul smiled and wound his arms around Ace’s shoulders, holding him closer. “Yeah, yeah. Together,” he nodded.

Ace hummed out a low, unknown sort of alien gibberish to him, crooning softly, pleasantly for him to hear. Paul nodded along to it, feeling all too happy to just lay back and enjoy their moment together.

 

  
Some piece of the car’s engine in the front gave an unhappy squeal as it lurched forward. Ace could hardly imagine what he was doing wrong- he thought he was doing great so far! Okay, sure, the clutch hated him and didn’t want to listen to him. It was hard to believe that his Paulie- awkward, gangly Paulie with his black jacket hanging off his skinny frame and his ridiculous hat he wore while driving around town- was able to drive this death trap without any sort of trouble whatsoever.

"This is definitely no Astro Charger 9000,” Ace muttered, jiggling the clutch impatiently. Under them, the car seemed to growl at its driver, but it did continue to run down the backstreet of the Bronx, its wheels inching along with Ace’s slow pace and attempt at clutching.

"Goddammit, Ace,” Paul said, and if he was trying not to sound frightened for his life as he let Ace drive them around, then he was failing miserably. His fingers were digging into the sides of his seat, his knuckles turning white. He could only thank God that no one else was driving down the street next to them right now.

“Calm your hairy tits, I got this.”

God, why had he agreed to let Ace practice driving in his car again!? Yeah, yeah. Ace said his dad was getting his muffler fixed up and it’d be in the shop until next week, but Paul was desperately wishing he’d never agreed to this madness. "This isn’t one of your spaceships! You can’t just keep jerking the damn clutch- Ugh, I told you this was a bad idea…"

"Well, thank God it’s not a spaceship, Paulie! Seriously, this hunk of metal of yours couldn’t even get us to Earth’s moon!”

“This taxi driving lesson is a total disaster…” Paul murmured, quietly.

"Pffft, I'd hardly call it a total disaster," Ace chuckled, trying his best not to hit a fireplug as the car momentarily jumped onto the curb.

“…It took you a dozen tries to just start my car. Ace… Your first question was which one is the brake and which one is the accelerator-” 

“Point?”

“Point!? The point is, I’m seriously still surprised you have a driver’s license!”

Ace pulled a long face. “Hey, hey! I just haven’t driven in a while! And- And Paulie, I’m in a different car that I’ve never driven before! Give me a break, baby!”

Suddenly, Paul leaned over close to him, grabbing his shoulder, and Ace could only imagine that it was to divulge some sort of sexy secret. Ace could feel the warmth of his body all along his side and it was all he could do to keep his eyes on the road ahead. Fortunately, Paul was doing it for him.

“Pull over.”

“Ooh, frisky--”

“No! Pull over or you’re gonna get us both killed!”

“Paulie, it’s fine!” Ace abruptly swerved, knocking both of them sideways, Paul now clutching onto Ace’s shoulder for dear life instead of just a bid for his attention. “I got this!”

“No, you don’t! Pull-- dammit, pull over!” Paul’s head was spinning. He couldn’t remember a more hazardous time he’d had in a car with someone. He’d been expecting just to give him a brief rundown and instead he was pretty sure half of KISS would finally be in the Sunday papers: under the obituary section. 

“Where? There’s nowhere to go!” Ace actually sounded mildly panicked now. “Can I-- can I perpendicular park?”

“Perpendicular? The fuck?” Paul snapped out, before it hit him. “Parallel?”

“Yeah, yeah! Over-- over there!” Ace pointed dimly at an open swath of concrete with a fire hydrant perched right at the curb.

“No!”

“Can I--”

“Take a right! Take a _right!_ ”

Ace took a right. Miraculously. Paul chewed his lip and prayed he wouldn’t start hyperventilating. The last thing either of them needed was Ace forgoing the wheel to try and help…

“Okay! Okay, now there’s gonna be a gas station! Pull over right there!” And a pause. “No, no, park behind it! Yes! There!”

By the sheer grace of God, Ace actually managed to quickly park behind the gas station and not hit a single thing in the process. The moment Ace parked, Paul threw his head back against the seat and groaned, peeling his fingers out of the seat. 

“Oh, kill me now…” Paul said, sighing and trying his best not to sound annoyed out of his mind right now. It was a little hard not to let it show. 

“Hey, I thought I did pretty good for my first time driving this baby.” Ace smiled at him.

Paul just groaned and shut his eyes, but he could still hear the amusement in his voice. Then all he could hear was the grumpy rumbling of Ace’s empty belly, and he opened his eyes only to find a set of pleading eyes staring him down.

“ _Paulie…_ ” Ace whined like a dog who hadn’t gotten its dinner yet. “Hey, where are those sandwiches you nicked from the deli earlier? I’m _starving_ here!”

“Goddamnit, I seriously can’t believe you’re hungry after almost dying…” Paul shook his head, resting his hand atop his forehead.

“Food, food, _food!_ ” Ace chanted, hands finding their way over onto Paul’s lap. They pat it playfully and motioned for Paul to hand over the goods.

“Fine, fine. Here,” Paul grunted, leaning up and hauling up a decent sized paper bag from the foot of the floorboard. Luckily, none of the contents had gone flying during Ace’s driving attempt. There was a decent selection of sandwiches in there for Ace to pick from, from BLT to ham and cheese, so he had a nice variety. Paul shoved the paper sack over in Ace’s direction. “I don’t know what you _won’t_ eat, so I just brought a little of everything-”

Paul blinked. He had just given him the bag, and Ace was already trying to inhale a turkey sandwich down his throat. It was too weird to look away. Ace ate like a person who’d never seen another human eat food before… Paul just couldn’t tear his gaze away as the lead guitarist continued to shove food in his mouth, wiping the mayo off his lips with his sleeve. No table manners whatsoever. No manners with food at all. 

It was too strange, too, since on one of the sandwiches, Ace just proceeded to pick the crust off his sandwich, like a picky five-year-old. Then the pickles went flying out the window. Then he just ate the ham with his fingers. When he was done with it, all that was left was mayo, paprika and onions on the bread. Ace ate it anyway.

He paid a glance to the side at Paulie. “...What?” he asked through a mouthful of food.

“You’re weird…” Paul muttered, softly. God, how had he fallen for such a crazy being?

“Yup! Proud, too!” Ace snickered, then took another bite of his sandwich, then politely offered Paul the rest of it. Paul grimaced at the sad excuse for a sub now.

“Ahh… No thanks, Ace,” Paul told him. “Watching my figure, you know?”

“You’re such a chick. C’mon…” Ace held it up the depressing remnants, frowning. “Or did you eat at work?”

“I make those all day, you think I really wanna eat them after that?”

“I would!” Ace withdrew the sandwich, biting into it again. He swallowed before continuing. “You need to eat more.”

“So says the stick figure.”

“’S not the same. Jendell’s gravity isn’t that high. Here all my calories get burned up just walking around. I gotta eat everything to keep up, you know?” Another bite, this one even less neat than the others, some of the mayonnaise smearing on Ace’s top lip. “But you don’t gotta worry so much, you’re fine. The diet shit’s for models.”

“The diet shit’s for people who eat too damn much,” Paul retorted. He tried not to, but his eyes were focused on the smudge on Ace’s lip. From right next to him, in the relative privacy of the car, he’d have no trouble leaning in to lick it away. God, he was no better than Ace, really. Eating right after almost wrecking the car, thinking about fooling around right after almost wrecking the car… what was the difference? He shifted in his seat. 

“You’re good, Paulie. You’re always good, man. I mean it.”

“Ace, I-”

“Hmm?” Ace hummed, biting down hard onto his sandwich and forcing out a large portion of the mayonnaise onto the dashboard. Paul just groaned.

“Ace! Dammit, I just cleaned this car up!”

“Ahh, I can clean it… Do we have napkins in here or something-”

“No, I don’t keep napkins in my car!”

“You should!” Ace told him, motioning to the white splash of color on the dash. “For times like this! Paulie, you gotta think ahead for these sorts of problems!”

“Unbelievable…” Paul muttered and laid his head back once more, shaking it slightly. “You are absolutely unbelievable…”

“Hey, I bet some tunes would help us out!” Ace smiled. He turned on the radio, then threw the rest of his sandwich back in the bag and probably ruined the rest of the sandwiches with its half-eaten condiments. So much for Paul if he eventually wanted one of those sandwiches...

“ _Was a good friend of mine... I never understood a single word he said,_ ” Paul raised a brow. Not his favorite by Three Dog Night. “ _But I helped him a-drink his wine… And he always had some mighty fine wine-_ ”

“Change it,”

“ _Love, look at the two of us… Strangers in many ways-_ ”

“The Carpenters?” Ace looked over to Paul and asked. 

The lead singer shook his head. “Nah. That shit’s too sappy.”

“ _Let's take a lifetime to say-_ ”

“ _Can you remember happy hours… Spent drinkin' and thinkin',_ ” Rod Stewart? Yeah. Yeah, he could get behind this. “ _We thought we could change the world… And we never, never, never, never, never..._ ”

“A superb album, yeah, Paulie?”

“Real original and his own passionate piece, yeah.” Paul nodded along to the beat of the song.

“I like the harmonica on the last song- Damn, what was it again? The song title, c’mon, Paulie, help me out.”

“ _‘Dirty Old Town?’_ ” he offered him.

“Yeah, yeah! That’s the one. Good shit.”

“Not as good as ours?” Paul smiled, chuckling just a bit at the confused look on Ace’s face. “Ace… I’m joking.”

“Ohh, heh. Try to stick to physical comedy, then. Had me concerned for a second that your mood went south.”

“You stopped driving,” Paul told him. “I’m much better, believe me.”

“Cool, cool.” Ace grinned, then threw his seat back. It caught Paul off guard, and he flinched as he felt the sudden brush of air race past his arm as Ace flew back. “Ahhhh, there we go,” he sighed, resting his head back on his hands.

Paul couldn’t help but smile as he looked down at him. “What are you doing?”

“Relaxing, baby~ You should try it every once in a while.” Ace winked at him, wriggling his hips just a bit for him. “C’mon, lay back! Get comfy!”

“...Promise you won’t start driving again?”

“Fiiii _iinnnnneeee_. I guess so. H _ahAH_ AHa _HhhA_ H,” Ace cackled, loudly. He motioned for Paul to fall back, too. “C’mon, relax, Paulie!”

“Alright. Give me a second,” Paul muttered, pulling the lever on the side of the seat and slowly leaning it back until he was flat just like Ace. They threw back their armrests so they could actually look at one another, and they smiled warmly at each other.

“Hey, Paulie~”

“Hi, Space Ace~”

“Ha _hAH_ ha, I got you to relax- for ONCE! HA!”

“Keep laughin’ and we’ll see how long it lasts.” Paul warned him, playfully.

“It’ll last, trust me, Paulie.” Ace smiled at him. His right hand slowly drifted over and rest itself down on Paul’s thigh, moving at a leisurely pace over it. “Have I told you- No, I don’t think I have. Okay, so I can see into the future. Ehh…. only for a few seconds at a time- Jendell connection isn’t that good in New York, hehhe. Always cutting out. But, hey, I’ve seen it, man! Us! Thousands of people- screaming fans! Entire stadiums full of people chanting our names! Yelling out for KISS! The hottest band in the world…”

“‘Hottest band in the world’? Makes us sound like we’re wrestlers. Or part of a circus act.” But Paul was smiling, smiling big. “Hey, we’ve been doing good lately, haven’t we? Making those promo kits, getting things going, the KISS shirts…”’ Even if the only ones wearing them were the band’s various girlfriends and family members. “And we’re booked for next week…”

“Next week’s gonna be peanuts compared to next year!” Ace laughed. “Oh, man, Paul. You don’t even know. Hell, _I_ don’t even know. But we’re gonna be the biggest thing that ever came out of New York. We’re gonna really, really make it.”

“Yeah,” Paul said softly, looking over at Ace. When Gene talked about making it, he was always so coolly practical about it, not just daydreaming but putting it into action, printing their flyers, banging on anyone’s door if he thought it’d garner KISS a shot at recognition. Ace was so sure of KISS’ success that he was content to ramble about it as if it would just-- happen, just like that, like they were destined for some cosmic greatness. Times like this, he could believe him.

“We’re gonna make it together.”

“Yeah.”

“ _‘I’m gonna make it with you~’_ ” Ace started singing, almost tonelessly, and Paul snorted. Despite himself, a flush had started on his cheeks.

“ _Bread?_ Really, Ace?”

“ _I really think that we could make it good~_ ” Ace trailed, mischievous as he tugged the key out of the ignition. “What, not heavy enough for you? Breaking my heart, Paulie.”

“It’s… fine. I just thought you’d be pulling out the harder, stronger love ballads for me. Aren’t I worth it?” Paul asked him with a sly grin.

“Oh, Paulie, baby,” Ace purred, tossing the key onto the top of the dashboard. He leaned back down and pulled him closer to him. “You’re worth it, you really are~ Mmhmm,” he hummed into his neck.

“Mmhmn,” Paul crooned out sweetly, resting his head atop of Ace’s. The last couple weeks, between practices and work, they’d been stealing time together. Mostly at Ace’s place. It had been-- it had been really intimidating at first, at least for Paul, to start kissing and touching Ace when they didn’t have any alcohol to blame. Or Paul didn’t, at least. He kept wondering if they should really keep messing around-- in the heat of the moment, it always felt amazing, insanely surreal, but the after, the real after, alone, left him uncertain.

He didn’t know what to do with Ace exactly. He didn’t know what to do with someone who really wanted him. He just knew he wanted to try. Wanted to return it. Just knew that it felt so good, so damn good to rest his head on Ace’s shoulder, press his lips against his, shudder through the licks and nips against his bare skin. It felt natural and warm and a million other things he couldn’t own up to. Ace’s attention was something he craved so badly, adored so much-- more and more, he needed that. Needed him. 

Ace smiled and nuzzled into Paul’s chest, then his hands came up to grope his tits while his face was planted between them. After feeling it for a minute, Paul looked down and raised a curious eyebrow as Ace practically massaged his chest, squeezing the muscle under his hands.

“When you’re done playing with my tits, do you wanna come back up here?”

“Mmph, Paulie, you must, you must, you must increase your bust,” Ace singsonged, the words muffled against Paul’s chest. Paul flicked his finger against the side of Ace’s skull.

“Can it--”

Quickly raising his head, Ace looked up at him with a pleased grin, before he leaned up and sealed their lips together in a firm kiss, the tip of his tongue pushing against Paul’s lips.

Exhaling a soft pleasurable sigh through his nose, Paul opened his mouth to allow the tongue in, and they kissed deeply. Hot breaths mingled as their lips moved together and hands roamed over each other’s bodies. It didn't take long until things escalated, and their kissing became more and more passionate, hot and wet tongues exploring eagerly.

“Mmnh! _Ace~!_ ” Surprised, but not rejecting, Paul pulled back from the kiss and pressed his face into Ace’s neck, his hips instinctively grinding more into his hands.

“Did I get you all hot ’n bothered, baby?” Ace murmured, teasingly, rubbing the hard bulge through his underwear with determination, feeling steamy breaths and stifled moans against his neck that made him just shiver with pleasure.

Paul felt his entire composure shatter when Ace’s hand stroked his throbbing erection with such glorious friction. Oh, _oh._ He’d had handjobs before, from girls that were too nervous or prissy to put out, but they had nothing on Ace’s callused, practiced fingers. As Ace gripped the shaft firmly and started stroking, a loud, needy noise erupted from the lead singer under his touch that sent a wonderful cosmic force through Ace’s system.

“Fuck… Fuck, you’re so sexy, Paulie...” Ace smiled at him, making slow strokes at first, and rubbing the sensitive head with his thumb.

Needy moans and hot panting filled the cramped space of the car they were in, the windows getting quite foggy. The feeling of hot bodies pressed together, and intense stimulation came with primal arousal. The prickling feeling was quickly building up inside Paul, growing bigger and hotter until it was boiling over. With fast pumps and hot kissing, Paulie came, letting out a stuttering moan, hips twitching as he spilled into Ace’s hard-working hand.

“ _ACE~! AAaaaaahhh! Ah_ hh… Ace, Ace~” Paul cried out for him.

Ace slowed his strokes to ease out his climax and even snuck himself a quick bite on his Paulie’s neck. Pressed closely against his partner, Paul groaned deeply, his body shuddering as it finished unloading his heavenly release.

“Fuck… Fuck, that was hot, Paulie.” Ace murmured, glancing over his lovely Paul. “But quick… Am I just that good or what? O- Or, h _aHaH_ Ah _AHh_ ah, I should give you a nickname or something for it--”

“Ace, Ace… Huh? What are you…?” Paul tried to ask him, trying to clear his head to think clearly.

“H _ahA_ HA _HhA_ Hh, you were so speedy~ Hey, hey- Let’s nickname you Mr. Speed! That way when people ask us why that’s your nickname, I can tell them why!”

“Oh, God, please don’t.” Paul’s expression was practically comical, that muddy sort of post-orgasm peace coupled with sudden consternation. His forehead was wrinkled up, slightly damp, his mouth pursed in a vague wince. “No…”

“It’s perfect! Mr. Speed… no wonder you’re always so eager, you’re about to blow any second! Aw, man,” Ace giggled, shaking his head. “Don’t worry. I’m gonna improve your love life here.”

“Ace, you’re gonna ruin it--”

“Nah, nah,” Ace said, spreading his fingers out, looking at the come splattered across them. He paused, then started to lick his fingertips, just a little at first, as if he was cautious about the taste. Paul watched, entranced, as Ace went from carefully darting his tongue against the fluid to slipping a few fingers in his mouth at once, getting every drop, lapping his palm afterwards in slow, easy strokes. God, Paul hadn’t ever seen anything so captivating. If he hadn’t just orgasmed he was sure he’d be hard again already just from watching. 

“Shit,” he breathed out. “Shit…”

“You taste pretty good, Paulie. Want some?”

“Wha-- no! I’m good. I’m good.”

“Yeah, you’re real good,” Ace breathed, licking off the last bit from his fingertip. “Just lovely~ Damn, you make me so damn thirsty...”

“Well…” Paul purred, pressing closer into his partner. “You make me very, very hungry~”

The corners of Ace’s lips curled backward in a knowing grin. “Ooho, I do now, do I? Mmhm, well, besides those sandwiches that you don’t like, what do I have around here for a hungry Paulie? A poor starving Paulie, wasting away to nothing…” Ace brushed his lips against his and muttered, “Do you need a kosher hot dog, perhaps~?”

“You know it, Spaceman~” Paul purred, then his lips made contact with Ace’s neck, licking and nipping, leaving a little trail of marks as he went along. Ace threw back his head and groaned, loudly, as Paul’s hand traveled down, palming at Ace’s hardening cock through his jeans.

“You like that?” Paul asked, mouthing along Ace’s neck.

Ace nodded, head leaning back halfway across the seat now, and enjoying every second Paul’s confidence shined through for him. He was getting braver now, definitely getting braver. Leaning in for a kiss without hesitation these days. Not half so stiff when Ace went to stroke at his face with his fingers. All that warmed Ace deep inside like a comfortable bourbon.

A bit more practiced at this point, Paul easily removed Ace’s cock and balls from his pants, stroking the lead guitarist, letting him harden even more.

“Christ, Paulie…!” Ace murmured, softly. Paul grinned, leaning down and licking a stripe across Ace’s balls.

“Mmhm, you know for as much as you and Peter go off about cock sizes,” Paul muttered from below. “I gotta say, yours is already really long.”

“Awww, but his is a _monster!_ ...Well between you and me, I’ll say it’s a monster. I gotta put up a little competition with him there, you feel? Hh _AHa_ HA _haH_ Aa,” Ace cackled, madly. 

“Oh, I’m feeling something,” Paul said, moving in again to suck a ball into his mouth. Ace whimpered, head rubbing wildly against the seat. Paulie licking and sucking him like this was making him come completely undone in his seat. 

“Pa- Paulie…! Christ!”

He’d never done that before! When had Paul gotten gutsy enough to suck him off? Ace didn’t know, but fuck if he wanted this to stop. Just watching him, just feeling his tongue work against him, was too intense for words. He was actually scared he wouldn’t last much longer than Paulie had, crazy as that seemed. Paul pulled up a little bit, plush lips hovering over Ace’s cockhead, beads of pre-cum shining in the light of the streetlamps. Paul stuck out the tip of his tongue and licked it right off, then opened his mouth and sucked down Ace’s long cock, hand playing with Ace’s balls as he did.

“Christ…! Paul, Paulie, _Paulie~!_ ” Ace cried out to him. He panted heavily as he watched Paul’s head bob up and down, throat smoothly working around the impressive length of Ace’s cock, as he blew and tasted him. “G- Got no damn gag reflex! Thank god! Thank you! Cosmic forces are in your favor, Paul!”

Paul chuckled, softly, oh so happy to hear his skills were being enjoyed and adored. Ace’s hips jerked, cock sliding in and out of Paul’s warm mouth. Ace’s free hand was latched onto the edge of the seat as pure bliss ran through his senses and body. 

“I’m gonna come, Paulie! G- Gonna come down your throat!” 

It only took a couple more seconds for Ace to come. Paul only pulled up after drinking down every last drop, licking his lips before he pulled away from Ace’s spent cock. He pressed a gentle kiss to its tip, glancing up into Ace’s eyes the entire time as he did. He kissed him one more time before tucking Ace back into his pants. 

“Been wanting to do that for so damn long now,” Paul smiled, warmly.

“It was worth the wait, Paulie~” Ace sighed, eyes shutting in bliss. Paul chuckled, leaning back up to kiss Ace right on the lips. He nuzzled real close into him, closing his eyes too, and feeling loved. “Worth every second we ever waited…”

Lazy, pleasured smiles curled up on both of their faces. They felt right. Everything felt right. They were alright. They were good. They were all good.


End file.
